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Highlanders too strong for Melbourne

Michael Lynch

Not even close: the Highlanders' Ben Smith makes a break despite the efforts of a lone Rebel. Photo: Getty Images

TWO wins on the bounce - including that narrow, nerve-jangling victory against the Western Force in Perth - had brought the Melbourne Rebels a huge confidence boost ahead of what promised to be a tough, grinding encounter against the uncompromising Highlanders at AAMI Park last night.

But their bubble was pricked in no uncertain fashion by the rugged Highlanders who were too strong and too quick in the crucial areas, the New Zealanders finally running out comfortable 40-18 winners. Had five-eighth Robbie Robinson been more accurate with his boot - he converted only four penalties or conversions from 11 attempts - the deficit could have been much greater.

Highlanders take down Rebels

The Highlanders kept a rusty Melbourne Rebels side at bay as they won an 18-40 bonus point victory at AAMI Park. Photo: Getty Images

Rebels coach Rod Macqueen admitted his side had ''played very poorly''. ''It was a coaches' nightmare. We really owe the public better than that.''

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The host started off in promising enough form, early pressure forcing the visitors into some poor handling and turnovers as the Rebels sought to sustain the momentum of those two victories which had lifted them to third on the Australian conference with 19 points, and ninth overall.

When Danny Cipriani put the Victorian side in front from a penalty after nine minutes things looked to be going to plan, especially as the Highlanders had already suffered a setback with an early injury that robbed them of the services of first choice five-eighth Colin Slade. The sometime All Black limped off with a jaw injury inside the first five minutes.

The Rebels, who were without captain Stirling Mortlock, forced out with a hip injury, were up for it, none more so than flanker Michael Lipman, who landed a crunching tackle on Highlanders hooker Jason Rutledge.

But after an unsteady opening the Kiwis, who, like the Rebels, lay third on their conference ladder but came into this match two places ahead on the overall table, found their groove.

Slade's replacement Robinson, who had missed an earlier penalty, got his range to tie the score up with another and then only a desperate lunge on Robinson prevented him from going over after a series of misplaced passes involving Cooper Vuna, Mark Gerrard and Nick Phipps provided the visitors with an opportunity.

But the relief was only short-lived as the Kiwis took the lead through the adjudication of the television match official when Adam Thompson grounded the ball as he disappeared under a mountain of bodies; this time Robinson took the extras.

Cipriani failed to convert a long-range penalty which could have put the Rebels back into the contest, and the miss proved costly. The Highlanders stretched the lead soon after courtesy of a barnstorming run from full-back Ben Smith, who carried the ball from the half-way line to the shadows of the post before being denied by a covering tackle. From the restart the Highlanders found the overlap easily and Alando Soakai went over in the corner. When Robinson converted the lead stretched to 14 points: 17-3.

The Rebels had shown courage and character in their previous home game when they had overturned a 17-0 deficit against the Hurricanes, and Cipriani momentarily brought some hope with a penalty.

But the chances of a Hurricanes-style rebound diminished when the Highlanders worked the ball out loose on the right, offering Siale Piatau the chance to go over. Robinson missed another conversion, but it mattered little as the visitors went to the interval 22-6 ahead and looking full of running.

The host needed an early second-half score. A try did come, but unfortunately for the 18,739-strong crowd it came at the wrong end as Piatau burst through past Vuna, Phipps and Cipriani to stretch the gap still further. Robinson missed the kick but his inaccuracy failed to take the wind out of the Highlanders sails.

By this point they looked as if they might score whenever they got in the vicinity of the try line, and Kade Poki, the right winger, was next when he picked the ball up in midfield and brushed off a series of challenges to post the Highlanders fifth try.

It was a deflating evening for the Rebels, who will be hoping their rustiness can in part be attributed to the week off with the bye. But they did get some crumb of consolation when lock Hugh Pyle scored their first try of the game after some good work by Phipps and Gerard, who found the big man in space.

Still that wasn't the end of the scoring, as Hurricane's flanker Thompson produced the try of the night when he picked the ball inside his own half, outsprinted all opponents and beat off Cipriani's last ditch tackle to go over in the corner for his team's sixth try.